University of Minnesota Athletics
Goldy's Mailbag - Jan. 27, 20111
1/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Welcome to this week's Goldy's Mailbag. This is your chance to get your questions answered about anything and everything related to Golden Gopher Athletics! Submit your question for next week's Mailbag!
Do you know when the last Gopher penalty shot at Mariucci was? - Paul, Gahanna, Ohio.
Absolutely Paul. Madison, Wis., native Phil Kessel had the last Golden Gopher penalty shot. He scored to give Minnesota a 4-2 lead against Minnesota State on Oct. 1, 2005. Even better, it was his first collegiate goal.
After one season in Gold Country, Phil has gone on to a successful career in the NHL with the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. In fact, he will compete in the NHL All-Star game this weekend. He has 19 goals and 34 points this season north of the border.
Do you have an update on the Border Battle? - Chris, Bemidji, Minn.
Minnesota has some work to do if it hopes to win its third straight Border Battle with Wisconsin. The Badgers currently have a 225-95 lead in the series, but there are 60 points up for grabs this weekend in a couple of compelling matchups.
The Gopher women's hockey team is 12-1-1 in its last 14 games and is ranked fourth in the country. They head to Madison this weekend to face the top-ranked Badgers who are 15-1-1 in their last 17 games since losing to the Gophers at Ridder Arena on Nov. 5. Each game of the two-game series is worth 10 points.
On Sunday in what could be considered one of the most anticipated meetings in the series, the Gopher wrestling team hosts Wisconsin at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota is currently ranked fourth in the country, while the Badgers are currently rated third. Wisconsin earned a narrow 19-17 victory at the National Duals earlier this month. You can purchase tickets here! If you can make it to the match, you can watch live at Gophersports.com.
To keep up with the standings, you can bookmark this page.
Does Coach Kill have any surprises this year for signing day? - Gene, Hibbing, Minn.
We shall see Gene. NCAA rules prohibit us from discussing individual recruits until they sign their national letter of intent, but Coach Kill will unveil his first recruiting class on Wednesday, February 2. It will certainly be an action packed day.
Gophersports.com will be the place to be. Signings are not official until they have been approved by our Compliance office and once that happens, we will have the official announcement right here beginning as early as 6 a.m. We will have a live interactive blog throughout the morning and will have Coach Kill's press conference live at 3 p.m. We will also have highlights from the 'Sota Social which will be held Wednesday night at TCF Bank Stadium. If you want to attend the 'Sota Social, you can register here.
On a side note, Coach Kill will hold a special teleconference with Gopher football season ticket holders on Friday, February 4 at Noon where he will field questions for an hour. We will have live video stream of the teleconference in the Gold Zone.
How is Zach Budish doing? - Steve, Port Jefferson, N.Y.
Zach had successful knee surgery on November 22 and has been busy with his rehab. Zach has been working daily with Gopher trainer Jeff Winslow and is on track for a full recovery. He has also applied for a medical redshirt to get this year back.
Zach was off to a strong start in his sophomore season. He had two goals and four assists in the team's first seven games. He's still a fixture in the locker room and even made it to Mankato to watch his teammates face the Mavericks.
Has the Spring Game been set yet? - James, St. Paul, Minn.
The time of the Spring Game has not been set, although it looks like an early afternoon affair, but the date of the Spring Game is Saturday, April 23 at TCF Bank Stadium. Stay tuned to Gophersports.com for more details.
Coach Kill will open spring football practice on March 24. The 15 workouts will culminate with the spring game. Maybe we'll see some more of this from quarterback MarQueis Gray:
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